Ciliary neurotrophic factor variants

Abstract

Nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of (a) a nucleic acid molecule having a nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID: NO 1, (b) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a peptide having an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID: NO 2, (c) a nucleic acid molecule whose complementary strand hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule according to (a) or (b) and which codes for a peptide which binds to ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor (CNTFR), the peptide binding with lower affinity than ciliary neurotrophic factor to the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R), (d) a nucleic acid molecule whose nucleotide sequence differs from the nucleotide sequence of a nucleic acid molecule according to (c) due to the degenerated genetic code, the codon at positions 82-84 of the nucleic acid molecule according to (a) coding for a non-positively charged amino acid, and the peptide at position 28 shown in SEQ ID: NO 2 having a non-positively charged amino acid residue.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A nucleic acid molecule, selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleic acid molecule having the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO: 1, and 
 (b) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a peptide having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO: 2, 
 wherein the codon in position 82-84 of the nucleic acid molecule of (a) encodes a non-positively charged amino acid, and wherein the peptide has a non-positively charged amino residue in position 28 shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, which is glutamic acid. 
 
     
     
       2. A vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule having the nucleotide sequence according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       3. A host cell comprising the vector according to  claim 2 . 
     
     
       4. A nucleic acid molecule having the nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO: 5. 
     
     
       5. A host cell comprising a nucleic acid molecule having the nucleotide sequence according to  claim 4 . 
     
     
       6. A peptide having the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID NO: 2 or in SEQ ID NO: 8, wherein Xaa is glutamic acid. 
     
     
       7. A peptide according to  claim 6 , wherein the peptide is a cyclic, amidated, acetylated, sulphated, phosphorylated, glycosylated or oxidated derivative. 
     
     
       8. A medicament comprising a peptide according to  claim 6 .